A stabilization fund is a mechanism set up by a government or

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

to insulate the domestic economy from large influxes of revenue, as from commodities such as oil. A primary motivation is maintaining a steady level of government revenue in the face of major commodity price fluctuations (hence the term "stabilization"), as well as the avoidance of

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

and associated atrophy of other domestic sectors ( Dutch disease). This generally involves the purchase of foreign denominated debt, especially if the goal is to prevent overheating in the domestic economy. The notion may overlap with

sovereign wealth fund A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund, is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, Bond (finance), bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as ...

. Examples of such funds include: * Stabilization Fund of the Russian Federation * Petroleum Fund of Norway (SPF) *

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

's Copper Stabilization Fund (CSF) *

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

's State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) *

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

's Reserve Fund for Future Generations (RFFG) *

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

's Mineral Resources Stabilization Fund (MRSF) *

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

's Macroeconomic Stabilization Fund (MSF) *

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development * Central Bank of Iran's Oil Stabilization Fund Stabilization funds do not necessarily have to revolve around large commodity revenue. Such national funds might instead seek to influence currency

exchange rate In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. Currencies are most commonly national currencies, but may be sub-national as in the case of Hong Kong or supra-national as in the case of ...

s without affecting domestic money supply. Such examples include: * European Financial Stability Facility *United Kingdom's Exchange Equalisation Account *United States's Exchange Stabilization Fund

External links

IMF registered stabilization funds
Sovereign wealth funds {{econ-term-stub

See also

External links